Revenge of the Duchess

Chapter 7

A/N: I own nothing but plot. Enjoy!

Percy prodded the body of Annabeth's driver with his boot.

"The work of bandits," Grover, his friend and fellow Black Knight, commented. "He was stripped of all his money and valuables."

"What about the first driver and the original carriage?" Percy asked.

"Also dead and both set on fire. The body is a bit hard to identify because of the burns, but pieces of his clothing indicate that he was wearing the Chase family uniform. We're sifting through the remains of the carriage for identification. The second Chase carriage was abandoned by the woods all looted, and it was indeed broken. The axle of the wheel was damaged deliberately. It appears that the bandits also tried to scratch out the family emblem out but were unsuccessful as we happened upon them in the process. Unfortunately, most escaped into the woods. We're trying to track them all down right now."

Percy frowned. Bandits had been getting thick as thieves, pardon his pun, in the royal city lately. Most of the Black Knights, including Percy who had just returned recently, had been sent on secret scouting missions to the neighboring country of Colchis so it was up to only the White Knights Order to protect the royal city. The White Knights Order had not been doing a thorough job it seems.

"All right. Interrogate those we captured thoroughly about who hired them. This doesn't seem like an unplanned attack."

"Sir! Sir!"

Percy and Grover turned to see a Black Knight rush towards him.

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid there's bad news. The three men we captured from the terrace incident have all died."

"How could this be?" Grover wondered.

"Explain." Percy demanded.

"They committed suicide. We already searched their bodies for hidden weapons but we did not think to search their mouths. Apparently they hid poison underneath their tongues and ate them just as we threw them into prison." The knight bowed his head.

Percy let out a huge breath and closed his eyes. For the captured men to die while under his control was embarrassing indeed. His enemies will no doubt catch this faux pas to try to take him down. 

"That's insane." Grover gasped.

"It means we have a bigger enemy than we thought. They're either well trained and loyal or they're more scared of whoever employed them than they are of us. Scared enough to kill themselves. This is a dangerous enemy indeed." Percy said. He turned to the Black Knight. "Find out whatever poison they used. We may be able to get some clues there. And let no one know of this incident." 

"Yes, sir!"

Grover turned to Percy. "It was a good idea to keep the terrace incident under wraps. Society only knows that the tea house owner didn't have correct safety regulations for tea house and has been punished accordingly."

"Good. We don't want to be criticized for these mistakes." Percy looked at the body before him. "Clean this up and make sure to keep quiet as well."

Percy left the scene and returned to his office, pondering the results of the investigation. The poison that was used was fast acting for the men to die so quickly. Should the poison be used against the innocent citizens of Cuora... Percy could only shudder at the disaster that would follow.

Malcolm and Annabeth observed the maids packing Annabeth's clothes and jewelry. As custom of higher nobility, Annabeth was moving into Percy's mansion where she would be educated for the position of Duchess.